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Thursday, September 14, 2006

Just wait until the end to tell them what's in it!

I love when I'm able to include an ingredient that Jeff says he can't stand, but actually quite enjoys eating when he does not know it is there. With tonight's dinner, Spinach and Cheese Bites, said ingredient would be cottage cheese! I've used it before in other dishes and he would tell me how much he liked dinner that night - and then I drop the bomb "hey... did you know there was a whole tub of cottage cheese in there? Hee hee!" Then I get the look of "ugh, I don't like cottage cheese!" Is there an ingredient that you often use for your loved ones that they say they don't like, but really love the dish as long as you don't tell them you used it?

The cottage cheese is whisked together with eggs, egg whites, green onions and sharp cheddar. After a bit of flour to bind, melted butter for richness and seasonings to spice things up are mixed in, a large amount of spinach is folded in and then poured in a square baking dish. Adorning the top is a shower of fresh grated Parmesan cheese and then it bakes away until bubbly and golden. I let them cool to almost room temperature which allowed for very clean cuts. We both liked the creamy texture which helped to bring the sharp cheese flavors to the front. I did take a little piece out to try while they were still very warm, but I thought it tasted best at room temperature. Next time, I might warm up some fresh minced garlic in the butter instead of using granulated for a bit stronger flavor. Since these could easily be done ahead of time, I bet these would be fun cut into small cubes to be passed around at a party.

16 comments:

Joe those look really good. I might even be able to convince DS to eat them. My mom used to make an amazing chocolate cake with coffee and sauerkraut. Since I have only recently acquired a taste for sauerkraut, she kept that a secret. Oh yeah, there was the time she tried to sneak peas into my tuna fish sandwich. I didn't fall for that one though. ;)

These spinach bites look great, they remind me of the Greek Spinach Pie, it is made with feta cheese in stead of cottage cheese.

About people eating things they don't like. Happens here all the time. Sometimes it really gets to me. Of course, I know right away when my husband does not like something, he pretends, but does not really enjoy it, so he just waits for dessert.When the kids were little, if they did not like something and did not eat their veggies, no dessert. But the same rules don't apply to the Master.

I'm constantly trying to get people to eat things they claim not to like. Most of the time they've never even tried it, they just think they won't like it. I thoroughly enjoyed proving my friend wrong when she told me she didn't like curry. Zucchini in baked goods is a surprise to quite a few people too.

Those look delicious! My DH will eat almost anything. We do have a friend though who has a major cheese aversion. I made a red velvet cake with cream cheese icing. He loved it. We never did tell him about the cream cheese ...afraid he wouldn't eat them again and he would not have been happy with us. :)

I always try to get my family to eat healthy by incorporating whole-grains and low-fat substitutes, and I always get that look of horror when they find out that the good-tasting meal is actually also good for them (of course I wait until after the finish eating it).

One of the things I continue to love about your blog is the healthy ingredients!!! It is officially my favorite cooking blog and one of my most frequently visited websites.